Module mod_auth_anon

Status: Extension
Source File: mod_auth_anon.c
Module Identifier: anon_auth_module
Compatibility: Available in Apache 1.1 and later.

Summary

This module does access control in a manner similar to anonymous-ftp sites; i.e. have a 'magic' user id 'anonymous' and the email address as a password. These email addresses can be logged.

Combined with other (database) access control methods, this allows for effective user tracking and customization according to a user profile while still keeping the site open for 'unregistered' users. One advantage of using Auth-based user tracking is that, unlike magic-cookies and funny URL pre/postfixes, it is completely browser independent and it allows users to share URLs.

Directives

• Anonymous
• Anonymous_Authoritative
• Anonymous_LogEmail
• Anonymous_MustGiveEmail
• Anonymous_NoUserID
• Anonymous_VerifyEmail

Example

• It insists that the user enters a userId. (Anonymous_NoUserId)
• It insists that the user enters a password. (Anonymous_MustGiveEmail)
• The password entered must be a valid email address, ie. contain at least one '@' and a '.'. (Anonymous_VerifyEmail)
• The userID must be one of anonymous guest www test welcome and comparison is not case sensitive.
• And the Email addresses entered in the passwd field are logged to the error log file (Anonymous_LogEmail)

Excerpt of httpd.conf:

Anonymous_NoUserId      off
Anonymous_MustGiveEmail on
Anonymous_VerifyEmail    on
Anonymous_LogEmail      on
Anonymous        anonymous guest www test welcome

AuthName                "Use 'anonymous' & Email address for guest entry"
AuthType                basic

# An AuthUserFile/AuthDBUserFile/AuthDBMUserFile
# directive must be specified, or use
# Anonymous_Authoritative for public access.
# In the .htaccess for the public directory, add:
<Files *>
Order Deny,Allow          
Allow from all            

Require valid-user        
</Files>

Anonymous directive

A list of one or more 'magic' userIDs which are allowed access without password verification. The userIDs are space separated. It is possible to use the ' and " quotes to allow a space in a userID as well as the \ escape character.

Please note that the comparison is case-IN-sensitive.
I strongly suggest that the magic username 'anonymous' is always one of the allowed userIDs.

Example:
Anonymous anonymous "Not Registered" 'I don\'t know'

This would allow the user to enter without password verification by using the userId's 'anonymous', 'AnonyMous','Not Registered' and 'I Don't Know'.

Anonymous_Authoritative directive

When set 'on', there is no fall-through to other authorization methods. So if a userID does not match the values specified in the Anonymous directive, access is denied.

Be sure you know what you are doing when you decide to switch it on. And remember that it is the linking order of the modules (in the Configuration / Make file) which details the order in which the Authorization modules are queried.

Anonymous_LogEmail directive

When set 'on', the default, the 'password' entered (which hopefully contains a sensible email address) is logged in the error log. The message is logged at a level of info, and so you must have LogLevel set to at least info in order to see this message.

Log entries will look like the following example:

[Fri Apr 26 14:49:50 2002] [info] [client 192.168.1.105] Anonymous: Passwd  Accepted

Anonymous_MustGiveEmail directive

Specifies whether the user must specify an email address as the password. This prohibits blank passwords.

Anonymous_NoUserID directive

When set 'on', users can leave the userID (and perhaps the password field) empty. This can be very convenient for MS-Explorer users who can just hit return or click directly on the OK button; which seems a natural reaction.

Anonymous_VerifyEmail directive

When set 'on' the 'password' entered is checked for at least one '@' and a '.' to encourage users to enter valid email addresses (see the above Auth_LogEmail).